Toothpick dispenser



July 20, 1937. 881 2,087,841

' TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Filed March 21, 1956 INVENTOR ATTORNEY PatentedJuly 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOTHPICK DISPENSER WilliamEssig, New York, N. Y.

Application March 21, 1936, Serial No. 70,126

1 Claim.

This invention relates to dispensers for toothpicks, matches and othersimilar objects and has for the primary object the provision of aportable, simple and efficient device which may be easily filled andactuated to dispense a single article at a time and is provided withmeans for adjusting the articles therein so that they will feed one at atime to the dispensing means of the device during each operation of saiddispensing means.

With these and other objects in view, this in vention consists incertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofparts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure l isa vertical sectional view illustrating a dispenser constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the dispensingroller of the device.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View illustrating thedispensing roller and the means of directing articles thereto.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral l indicates a containeropen at its upper end so that it may be readily filled with toothpicks,matches or similar articles and is normally closed by a hinged cover 2.The container is supported by spaced legs 3 secured to the side walls ofsaid container. The legs project beyond the front face or wall of thecontainer. The bottom wall of said container is arranged between thelegs and includes inclined portions 4 and a discharge slot 5 located atthe merger of said inclined portions, the latter acting to direct thetoothpicks or like articles to the slot.

A dispensing roller 6 is journaled to the legs 3 and is located betweenthe latter with a portion of the periphery projecting into the slot 5.The ends of the roller are provided with screw threaded bores to receivestud bolts l which extend through openings in the legs 3, therebyforming journals fo the roller and which provides a construction wherebythe roller may be readily removedfrom the device when desired. One ofthe stud bolts 1 has formed integrally therewith a lever B terminatingin a laterally extending finger piece 9. Said last-named stud bolt isengaged by a set screw it threaded to the roller 6 for locking the studbolt to said roller.

Arranged longitudinally of the roller within its periphery is a grooveII which when within the slot '5 will receive a single toothpick or likearticle and as shown in Fig. 5 the roller has an eccentric or outwardlyextending cam portion I l at one side thereof. in one direction causesrotation of the roller 6 in the direction indicated by the arrow inFigure 5 to position the groove it into emptying.

position so that the toothpicks or like articles Will gravitate onto ashelf i2 carried by the legs 3 so as to be easily obtained by the personoperating the device. A counter balance weight it is secured to theroller and acts to restore the roller in a position when the lever B ismanually released so that the groove Il will lie in the slot 5 toreceive another toothpick or similar article from the container.

V-shaped notches M are formed in the periphery of the roller and trailthe groove it so that on said groove moving into discharging positionthe notches. contact certain of the toothpicks in the container andthereby agitate the toothpicks whereby they will adjust themselves forentrance into the groove I l of the roller when said groove occupiesreceiving position.

A flexible strip I5 is secured to one of the inclined portions 4 of thebottom of the container and extends over the slot 5 to ride upon theperipheral cam portion ll of the roller to vibrate the same, whereby thearticles within the container are kept from Wedging between the wallsand slot 5 and the periphery of the roller when the latter is actuatedto position the groove from receiving position to discharging position.Also, in the event that the articles should become entangled, thevibrating action of the strip l5 will serve to adjust said articles sothat they will readily enter the dispensing groove of the roller.

The strip l5 further serves to close the space between the inclined walland roller, as the roller is rotated.

Having described the invention, I claim:

A dispenser comprising a container having oppositely inclined portionsin its bottom and a discharge slot between said portions, a support forsaid container, a dispensing roller controlling the slot and supportedadjacent thereto and having a groove to receive a single article at atime from the container and to deliver said article, a lever operativelyengaging said roller for imparting movement thereto in one direction, acounter balance weight secured to the roller for imparting a reversemovement thereto, a shelf carried by said support to receive the articlefrom the groove of the roller, said roller having notches trailing thegroove to agitate articles within the container, said roller having anoutward cam projection forward of the groove, and a flexible stripsecured to one of the inclined portions of the container and normallycontacting the peripheral cam portion of the roller.

WILLIAM ESSIG.

A movement of the lever 8 I

